Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has decided to issue fines on three political parties.
The electoral body issued fines on the Maldives Third-way Democrats (MTD), the Maldives National Party (MNP) and The Democrats, for not submitting their respective audit reports of 2023. The ECM has the authority to penalise parties who do not submit their audit reports as per the law with fines ranging from, USD 1,297 to USD 3,242. ECM penalised the three parties, each with a fine of USD 3,242.
According to the Political Party Act, all parties are required to have their annual accounts and statements audited by an auditor, who is recognised by the Auditor General, within a maximum period of 90 days after every year. The audit reports are then to be submitted to the ECM and the Auditor General.